Background and Supporters

Lifeskills was opened in January 2000 by HRH Princess Anne. Since then over 160,000 people have received training here and Lifeskills has gained a solid reputation as a Centre of Excellence for the delivery of safety education and training. Around 11,000 people now receive training in the Centre every year, a number that is due to increase to around 16,000 following our redevelopment.

Accidents kill about 14,000 people a year across the UK and seriously injure more than 700,000 a year in England alone. The financial cost of accidental injury is substantial with accidents costing the state around £20-30billion per annum (RoSPA, Big Book of Accident Prevention). Research also shows that there is a clear link between accidental injury and deprivation. However, accident prevention is both simple to deliver and relatively inexpensive leading to huge potential savings to the NHS.

Lifeskills offers an exciting and memorable environment in which to learn. By taking part in activities on our realistic scenarios, which include houses, a road, shop, dark alleyway, a river and a railway line, visitors can actually experience difficult or dangerous situations in a safe environment and learn how to deal with them.

Our aim is to secure low injury rates without compromising health or quality of life. We know that experimenting and risk-taking are an important part of growing up and everyday life. Lifeskills gives people the skills and confidence to make their own choices and encourages them to live full, independent lives.